


Brother's Clash

by Sanbella



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Brotherhood, F/M, Kin of the Stained Blade, Kinkou Order, Love Triangles, Unrequited Love, spirit blossom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26301829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanbella/pseuds/Sanbella
Summary: An inseparable bond. Two brothers, one respectful, cautious and conscientious, the other was everything but those things. Inspired by the cinematic Kin of the Stained Blade.The story follows an Ionian girl named Sazama. Through her eyes and her relationship between the two brothers, she sees growth, drama and adventures emerge.
Relationships: Yasuo & Yone (League of Legends), Yasuo (League of Legends)/Original Character(s), Yasuo (League of Legends)/Original Female Character(s), Yone (League of Legends)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter I

Sazama was sitting on the muddy ground, playing with the pretty rocks she found all around her family's garden. Like always.

The lighter brown would be in an intense battle with the black rocks fighting over... Sazama never really thought of an answer to that one. Conquer more land? Fight over a lady? For fun?

She never really understood the concept of battling over a certain something. It was all unnecessary exercise from her perspective. Regardless, mimicking those battles was still a hobby of hers and the stories that got told by her father during the evenings were always a shocker. 

Her father, Ueda was his name, had followed many lessons given by the well-known Kinkou Order. He had joined his fellow comrades in battles, fighting for balance in both the real and spiritual realm. Many stories, which he all got to tell his family and repeat to his daughter, were born from his experiences in the Kinkou Order. 

All this was thanks to the magnificent teachings of Great Master Kusho and his apprentices. Without his words of wisdom during missions and lessons, Ueda would have been raised a whole different man than he is now. A much weaker and imbalanced one, in fact. He always saw the two sides to a coin, seemed to always make careful decisions.

Sazama sometimes did not understand the full rationality behind her father's decisions. All good things always had to be paired up with something bad. That is how he kept the balance. But why? Sazama always thought. Why not enjoy the good instead of trying to balance it by adding something... bad? 

Questions like these never got answered properly without finding out for herself. That's what he always told her instead when she wouldn't understand the words " _ Enforced equilibrium."  _

Sazama suddenly got her little battle interrupted by the whine of a large horse, followed by the sound of loud footsteps.

She looked around to find a group of men dressed in dark colours. They didn't blend in with their environment at all, which was curious, to say the least. It seemed as their outfits were made to wear in dark places. Places with shadows covering every inch of the surfaces the men stood on. This was not their home. Ionia was not theirs.

The door behind Sazama opened. Ueda widened his eyes at the sight of the men. Confused and afraid for his family's fate, he quickly turned towards his daughter and picked her up. The dark rocks fell from her hands as she let out a quiet gasp from the sudden motion. What was happening?

Her father took her inside the house, he let out a rushed yell aimed towards his wife. She had never seen father like this before. He would always act so calm under any circumstances. This was different. As if he would know that balance was about to be restored. Either in a good or bad way. She definitely did not want an answer to that one.

Her mother peeked outside of the bedroom door, tiredness covering her face. Has she slept until now?

"I believe  _ he _ is here," Ueda told his wife with Sazama in his arms.

She widened her eyes slowly. "It can't be."

Suddenly, a furious knocking coming from the door. A man yelled, ordered the entire family to step outside. The family's heads turned towards Sazama.

Ueda silently handed over the young girl to her mother. It hurt him to leave her like this, so suddenly. It felt like it was the only option he had left. There was nowhere to run, or hide. Ueda stroked Sazama's golden hair slowly and cupped his wife's chin with his right hand. A final kiss goodbye seemed most appropriate at that moment, but it certainly wasn't the most perfect goodbye. His heart felt heavy when he had to turn himself towards the door and leave his family behind.

Sazama looked at her father confused. She still wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but it felt like an official goodbye for all of them. Before she turned around to walk with her mother, she saw purple particles emerging from the air, turning themselves into something... solid. A weapon of sorts. A katana from out of nowhere? She has heard the stories before, but even to a child like her they still seemed too made-up.

Her mother dragged her along into a nearby hiding spot. They both got inside the wooden closet, her mother hugging her child as hard as she could. Sazama was able to see through a small crack in the closet. She saw her father opening the door to these dark men.

"Is there something I can help with?" Ueda asked the three men that were gathered at their door. All of them with a stern look on their faces.

"You followed the wrong master, Ueda." A voice emerged from behind the men, "Only the worthy will survive this war. Care to know if you are?"

A man in armour emerged from the group, now standing in front of them. He looked ominous, yet still human. Something was off. Maybe it was the fact that his face was covered by a helmet or the fact that he had razorblades on both of his arms. 

He has killed before. The stains were barely visible.

"Zed?" her father knew his name.

"Ueda. It is time," he replied.

In a blink of an eye, the purple spiritual katana flew across the room towards the door where the men stood. It brushed past Zed's helmet, barely missing him. The katana slammed the door shut and positioned itself horizontally, blocking the door for the remaining soldiers. Zed looked back at Ueda, knowing what he was about to do.

Both men looked at each other intensely. Ueda drew an actual katana from behind a table he was standing close to. He slashed his katana onto Zed, only to get blocked by one of his blades on his arms. Zed just chuckled at the rushed action from the former Kinkou member.

Zed quickly jabbed towards the stomach of Ueda. He missed the jab by just an inch. The quick reaction skills from Ueda haven't left him since he had left the Order so he could focus on his family

Ueda lashed his physical katana towards Zed once again, only this time hitting his upper leg, causing Zed to fall a bit forwards.

Zed made use of his situation by quickly laying on his back and stabbing Ueda in his abdomen, creating a large, bleeding wound.

The father coughed, spitting out a little blood onto Zed's armour. He closed his eyes for a short time, accepting that it was an easy defeat. Without armour and proper equipment, which Zed did indeed have, he felt lacking. His family that was on his mind was also troubling him intensely. But it also gave him a shockwave to wake up from his weak moment.

Ueda slashed his katana across Zed's arm, which he previously used to open up the balanced warrior's abdomen. Zed pulled his arm back, groaning from the pain. He tried to stop the bleeding on his arm by covering the wound with his hand, but it wouldn't stop. Zed was angry, he groaned again as he kicked Ueda's face, making him fall to the ground.

Zed couldn't contain his anger anymore. He stood up, still covering his wound, and with one quick motion, the room suddenly felt a lot chiller than before. It sent goosebumps up to Ueda's neck. He was losing a lot of blood and coughing it up didn't make him feel any better either.

Ueda looked up towards Zed. He saw three of him, standing behind the original one. Was he hallucinating?

He wasn't. 

Dark figures from behind Zed, a replica from the original one, both pinned Ueda to the ground. The distance between their faces was short, the coldness coming off from the shadow versions of Zed.

A slashing sound. Sazama's mother covered her daughter's eyes, barely able to hold in the whimpers.

Then it was silent.

Sazama's mother let out a small cry when hugging her daughter as she saw her husband dead on the floor. It was a gruesome sight. One she did not want to remember.

Zed was silent as he watched his victim lying on the floor. Motionless. It reminded him of his previous kill, yet this one less satisfying. He sighed in annoyance as he saw the spirit blade fade away into nothingness, opening the door for the soldiers to see the mission accomplished.

The shadow warriors were about to leave, not taking a second look at Ueda's cold body. Zed almost closed the door behind him. Yet he stopped.

He turned his head. Looked straight into the mother's eyes in the closet.

She gasped and held her daughter tighter, still covering her eyes with her hands.

Zed approached slowly, knowing what he was about to do to the innocent victims.

"What a delight..." Zed spoke as he slowly opened the closet door. He looked down upon the two other family members.

Sazama's eyes were uncovered by her mother's hands. She could now take a close look at the man who killed her father.

What she did not expect him to do was reach out for her. He offered her a hand, or rather, a blade. She did not take it. She stared at him with sad eyes, leaking wet.

Solders came from out of nowhere and dragged her mother from the closet. Sazama grabbed her mother's hand, begging her to not leave her alone.

"Sazama!" the mother screamed as they pulled her away.

One of the soldiers took a hold of the holding hands, only to pull them apart from each other. 

Sazama saw her last family member being dragged away by mysterious men. She whimpered, yet she did not cry out loud.

Zed reached out to the girl once again, this time expecting a proper reaction. She couldn't believe it. It was horrible.  _ He _ was horrible.

She held his cold, sharp hands. The garden looked different from before. A lot darker than she imagined. The rocks were still lying there, yet she did not remember why she picked them up in the first place.

She looked up at Zed, who was keen on moving forwards towards the nearest town. He was still applying pressure to his wound, making him look weaker than he was when he fought Ueda.

When they arrived, Zed turned into black mist, leaving her all alone on an empty road.


	2. Chapter II

A few years had gone by since then. Sometimes she still had some thoughts of her previous family, sometimes she thought about Zed. Questions such as Where did they take my mother? Why did he leave me alive? Why did he guide me to this town? Why would he kill my father? weren't being asked as often anymore.

That day on the road, she was found by a farmer. The man, Shoji was his name, did not visit the town very often. But on that day, both of their lives changed into something... different. It wasn't necessarily much better for Sazama, and Shoji did not care for her as an actual daughter. They saw themselves as 'People who care for each other for their own benefits'. Shoji's benefit was that he would have a pair of extra hands on his farm, and honestly, he needed the company. Sazama saw it as an opportunity once she got older. Work was a way to forget about the bad thoughts and memories. Plus, there was always someone to take care of her. 

Throughout the years, she would get more efficient and faster at finishing up her tasks on Shoji's farm. At the age of ten, she regularly went away from the farm and into the nearby town. 

There was never much to see there. However, for her, it always felt exhilarating. The tall buildings and the busy people walking on the roads were entertaining to watch.

On one of the many days on which she was casually watching the crowd, a group of kids running towards the outer plaza caught her eye. She decided to follow them towards a large field near the edge of town. Two young men stood there, watching, maybe even analyzing each other's movements.

It's been a while since she had seen swords and katanas. It brought back some memories, but they quickly vanished as soon as the younger man charged at the older one. In one quick slash of the sword, what turned out to be wooden, the older guy fell to the ground. Beaten in one flick.

The crowd cheered. Some younger boys watching the duel went crazy. They wanted to catch the attention of the unbeaten duellist. However, the young teenager did not seem to care much for the praise and applause. He sheathed his sword back swiftly, closed his eyes for a second, and turned around to make his way back home. At least, that's what she guessed.

"Looks like you would be an easy target."

The voice came from next to her. It was a young boy, about the same age as she was, or maybe a tad older, who was also watching the duel like the rest of the crowd. He looked cocky, an unpleasant fellow according to Sazama. Of course, that was assumed after he had said that sentence.

She wanted to reply, accuse him of being cocky and rude. No words came out, so she just looked at the ground and sighed angrily.

"Prove yourself, mysterious girl."

And just like that, the boy handed her a short wooden sword, while he took one himself. Sazama hesitated at first, but the attraction to the sword was instant once she laid her eyes on the object. She saw that it was just a game now, a game she faintly remembers from her childhood.

The boy leapt over the fence towards the open field, gesturing her to do the same so they could start playing. She did, and before she knew it, the boy bowed to her and positioned himself... not quite right, but close enough.

"Ready?" the boy asked.

"Born ready." she finally let herself be heard.

The boy shot himself forwards, attempting to jab her roughly on the chest. Amazingly, the girl managed to block it and throw the boy off-guard.

The boy made a sound, maybe it was annoyance, maybe it was just a grunt. Then he tried it again, this time coming from a different angle,

She also attempted the same, which made the swords clash together, making them both fall over onto the soft ground beneath them.

The boy, not wanting to lose against a girl like this, quickly got up and pointed the tip of the sword towards her neck.

"Beating people is a bad habit... but I can't seem to quit." he finally said, suggesting his victory.

Sazama just smirked and pushed the sword away from her neck as if it was some kind of insect.

"Just this once. Next time, I'll be the one taunting you!" She finally laughed. The boy hesitated to join in, but couldn't stop himself from smiling a bit.

At that moment, the same victorious warrior from before approached the duo, fixating his eyes on the boy. 

"Brother, you dishonour yourself." the warrior said to his younger brother.

"You-!" the younger sibling was immediately cut off by his older role model.

"I only fight when I have to, Yasuo. Not when I want to."

And with that, it was over. The young boy went by the name of Yasuo, he stepped backwards and walked in the same direction as the older sibling walked beforehand upon finishing the fight.

Both watched him walk away until the older brother laid his eyes on Sazama. He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"The hunt never stops for that one. Be prepared." he gestured towards the wooden sword. When she looked down upon it, the older sibling let go of her and turned in the same direction as his younger brother.


	3. Chapter III

She raised her wooden sword into the air, trying to find a way to balance it on her longest fingertips. It wobbled quite a bit at first, but once she got used to the object's weight, it got easier.

The "gift" she had gotten from the two brothers was treasured by her. The feeling of holding a sword seemed like second nature to her, yet so curiously new. It was something worth exploring from her point of view.

Shoji had noticed the girl's new toy but wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. In fact, it might make her stay on the farm longer instead of going out into town right after finishing all her daily tasks. It would give him opportunities to ask for her help on certain occasions and even just entertain himself by watching her move around all day.

Sazama played with her sword for hours on end after a busy day at work. It seemed even more satisfying than going into town and looking at the bustling people. 

Until a week after she had gotten the sword, she decided to go back there. She was excited to watch more duels, meet new warriors and try to pick up new techniques.

That day, it was busier than normal. Reasons for this were the weekly market that was located in the town's centre. People were walking all over the place, all carrying their goods to their transportation or home.

Sazama didn't care much for the pleasant market. It wasn't time for such nonsense right now. She was ready to learn.

Sazama arrived at the training field. A man and a woman were standing in the middle of it. She caught them in the middle of their fight, which made it a bit difficult for Sazama to see what and why this was going on.

The woman grinned at the older man's actions. She knew she would win, She always does.

In one second, the man fell to the ground, defeated already. The woman was found standing straight, not even looking at the man she had just beaten. With that, the crowd cheered and Sazama blinked her eyes twice, not understanding what had happened. Yet, she was entranced by the woman's actions.

"Well, boys, who're next in line? Care to try me out?" The woman smiled proudly while looking at some of the other warriors, ready to defeat her.

Sazama stayed and watched the duels, impressed by the woman's moves. She managed to defeat all but one man. The woman implied he cheated, probably just furious because of her defeat.

Suddenly she saw the same boy from a week ago on the opposite side of the field. He was passing by, but still trying to watch the duel that was going on. He seemed somewhat bored.

Sazama decided to head into the same direction Yasuo was going in. He still hadn't noticed her. Probably because he was looking at how his feet moved on the ground, trying to get some amusement out of something so normal.

"Yasuo!" Sazama yelled out, waving her wooden sword in the air to try to get his attention.

His eyes didn't look at the ground anymore. The moment he looked at Sazama a slight smile could be seen on his face. He chuckled and waved back with his own wooden sword.

"Hah. Back again are we?" Young Yasuo asked her, "Never thought I would see you again. Too embarrassed because of your defeat, perhaps."

Sazama tilted her head and smiled playfully, "I cannot believe that you are  _ proud _ of that. Has it crossed your mind that... it might actually have been a draw?"

"What?!" Yasuo seemed to be a bit of a hothead. He didn't smile anymore. He wasn't bored anymore. But now he was just feeling completely insulted by this girl, "You're just a girl. Girls don't know the rules of battle! But I do... Yone has told me all about it!"

She didn't really know who he was talking about, but that was of no concern to her currently. Sazama felt a bit uneasy, not sure how to react to such rudeness. "Well... how about a rematch?"

Sazama could see in Yasuo's eyes that he wasn't angry anymore. Instead, his face turned into an excited one. He smiled and laughed at her remark.

"You betcha!"

They both stood in front of each other, keeping enough distance. Yasuo raised his sword slightly, indicating that he was ready. Sazama did the same and grinned at him. She was nervous, yet couldn't wait.

Yasuo was the first one to jump a bit to the front to try and poke her with the sword. Sazama managed to jump to her left side, almost losing her balance. The boy glanced over and chuckled at the awkward movement. He then slashed his sword in the same direction as she had jumped in. It hit her, but it wasn't as painful as she expected. Was he holding back? Afraid to hurt her?

Sazama then also poked Yasuo from the position she was standing in, hitting him on his left shoulder. The poke made him move a bit backwards, giving the duellists some room in the middle.

"Hey!" Yasuo shouted at the girl. He didn't expect her to fight back. "Now you're getting it!"

They jumped forward and tried hitting each other over and over again. Some blows missed, some hit. It turned from a more serious battle into a game, where the two children occasionally stopped and laughed at each other's attempts and taunts.

"I see you've found a worthy opponent, Yasuo! A girl!"

Sazama looked behind Yasuo to find a group of boys, four or so, mocking him. Laughing at him.

Yasuo turned around and his smile instantly vanished. He didn't look hurt or insulted. He just looked... uninterested. 

"Ah, it's you. Go away, it's none of your business.", and with those words, Yasuo turned around once again and raised his sword towards Sazama. She wasn't sure what was happening, so she lowered hers to glance at Yasuo and this group of boys.

Then suddenly one of the other boys threw a rock at Yasuo. It barely missed his head but hit his shoulder instead. The boys laughed. No reaction from Yasuo, he just sighed.

"Keep trying, Yasuo. You'll never be able to wield a sword like a real warrior. Your only viable future is becoming a housewife!"

The kids laughed once more. Yasuo now lowered his sword as well, turned around calmly, as he had all the time in the world. Once again, he did not seem hurt by the bully's remarks but also wasn't happy with it.

Then, he raised his sword and threw it as a sort of throwing knife at the bully. It landed straight in his face, making him fall backwards, covering his face with his small hands. 

The other boys looked at him, terrified, yet also ready to strike with more rocks... or fists. Sazama took a step towards Yasuo, taking his arm and moving him backwards, signalling him to  _ just stop _ and  _ get out of there _ .

"Get away from them. I'll cut you all down if necessary.", a voice came from behind a building. 

It was Yasuo's older brother, hands ready on his blade. He looked serious, he looked as if he has done this type of thing before.

The kids looked at the teen with disgust, picked up their 'leader' and stormed off. Some chuckles were heard as they ran off into the distance.

"I had them, Yone! I already took down one of them!" Yasuo yelled at his brother, clearly frustrated.

The older brother, Yone, ignored his brother's complaints and went to pick up the wooden sword Yasuo had thrown at the other boy. He gave it back to Yasuo. 

The younger brother reached out and took the sword, only Yone would not let go of it.

"Don't ever let them get to you. Finding justice through a blade proves nothing."

And then he let go. Yasuo was frustrated, yet listened to his brother's words carefully. 

Yone took a quick look at Sazama, recognizing her from last week. He then walked towards where he came from initially. Without saying another word, he was gone.

That just left the two of them once again. Sazama was worried. It turns out that her only friend was now getting bullied because of her.

"I'm sorry.", she said.

"For what?", Yasuo looked confused. He took a couple of steps forwards and then sat on the grass below him, looking at his sword.

"For getting you into trouble. I can go if you want."

Yasuo then looked up at her, a wide grin across his face. Then, he quickly jumped up and grabbed her by the neck. She was surprised and let out a silent ' _ eep _ ' as she fell on the ground because of the extra weight. Yasuo just laughed and went to sit back in his original position. 

"Don't you dare.", he then poked her with the wooden sword on her stomach, "and, by the way, I won again."


	4. Chapter IV

Countless years of working at Shoji's farm and practising sword-fighting with her friend Yasuo has made her stronger than she once was. She was happier now that she had a friend, a hobby and work to keep her busy during the days where she wasn't able to practice sword-fighting.

Yasuo would come by the farm at least once a week to practice and also help out with some errands commanded by Sazama's caretaker. The errands were always more fun when spent with a good friend to talk to. She never even thought about Zed anymore. She didn't feel any anger or curiousness.

As for Yone, he was present most of the time when the duo would meet up together near Yasuo's home. He would give tips and tricks to the two friends, bring them beverages when the days were hot... Sazama even noticed herself sitting up straight and smiling whenever he would approach them. 

She noticed it a couple of years back when Yone had spared a few hours to train with the duo. He fought against them, showed them impressive techniques Yone had learned from his own friends and, of course, watched the duo fight together, improving Yasuo's and Sazama's skills.

Today was an ordinary day like any other. Sazama was heading towards the sibling's home, only to find out, after knocking on their door countless times, that no-one was home. She put one hand on her forehead, thinking where they could have gone. It was early in the morning, yet the sun was already harsh. Being outside for too long would certainly cause some kind of bad sunburn.

Sazama wasn't quite sure where to go. She wasn't planning on looking for them in town, that was too far away. 

That's when she decided to go home. 

The following day, the exact same happened. Only this time, the brother's mother opened the door. She looked rather busy and did not like unexpected visits when she had the house to herself.

"Looking for the boys, I see," she started, "won't find them here. Yone has started his apprenticeship at the local sword school."

Sazama blushed at the thought of it. She couldn't wait to see her crush show-off even more than he already did. To her, it just seemed as if he mastered his skills to the fullest already. Of course, it had been a while since she saw the duels in town, and she still believed he was way better than any other warrior out there.

"As for Yasuo..." the mother was still talking to her. She snapped out of her thoughts and hoped she did not make it obvious she was thinking about her son, "I wouldn't know where he went. As far as I know, he walked with Yone to the sword school and came back when he finished his lessons. Today probably the same. Either way, they won't let a young child like him in the sword school yet. Maybe he went into town right after."

Sazama thanked her and wished her a good day. As the mother closed the door, Sazama turned around and decided to head into town. It was a thirty-minute walk, but she was starting to get worried for her friend, so she walked.

The town wasn't crowded, but there were some arguments in the streets regarding some new restaurant. She didn't bother to stop and eavesdrop, it was something only people with too much free time would like to know.

Yasuo couldn't be seen anywhere in town, not even near the open field where the duels were held. It was a curious case indeed. 

Her last guess would be that they had taken him in the sword school. Yasuo might have shown-off his sword skills to the masters and pleaded for lessons. Well, pleading wouldn't be something he would do, but you never know.

It was time to head to the sword school. It had just occurred her that it was quite a renowned school Yone, and maybe Yasuo, were in. She once heard that Elder Souma resides there, master of the legendary wind technique. She wonders if they are being taught that technique, as it was powerful enough to take on masses of soldiers with one quick blow. Sazama heard tales, told by her father, that two powerful warriors fought off four entire squadrons of trained military men. And only by making use of the wind technique and their other skills learned throughout many years of hard work. That's also when her father taught her the importance of working hard: "A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." Those were the words she clearly remembered.

She reached the sword school. The large, closed gates indicated only worthy people were let in to study, the fancy buildings inside the school's property showed the outside world the importance and wealth of the sword school. It intimidated her a bit, yet she hoped one day she might also get accepted. 

In front of the closed gate sat a figure. That figure looked extremely familiar. Once Sazama squinted her eyes, she was able to see it was none other than Yasuo, waiting for his brother, or perhaps, waiting to go in himself.

"Yasuo? What are you doing?" Sazama asked him while she approached.

He looked up from the ground and smiled slightly.

"Waiting. Care to join?"

She shrugged, figured he wasn't going to get up anytime soon either way. Then she sat down next to him.  
Yasuo took out something from his bag, a rice ball of sorts. It looked delicious, so probably not made by him. That's what Sazama hoped.

"Want some?", he asked her, offering the rice ball.

"Don't you want it?"

"I'll take half of it, don't worry. I'm not that generous just yet."

She chuckled and split the rice ball in half. The food was quite warm due to the heat. He must have been sitting outside for quite a while.

"What are you waiting for, Yasuo?"

"I'm waiting for them to open the gates and let me join the lessons."

"Aren't you too young? And not to say... reckless?"

Yasuo turned his head. He wasn't very happy with her remark but knew she was right.

"I can be better. They should give me a chance, at least.", he finally said.

Sazama nodded. She agreed on the fact that they should give him a chance, but she was also scared. What if he shows how careless he is and throws away his only chance of joining this prestigious school?

"We can always practice together. Yone probably has some new things to teach us anyway, right?", Sazama asked him.

"He does. Yet, I'm not sure if he will teach us."

And that was indeed the case. Yone trained with Yasuo and Sazama outside of school hours, but never did they learn anything new.  
Yasuo was still determined to join the school, even when the monsoon rained down on him while he was waiting outside the school, he stayed.  
Sazama was intrigued by Yasuo's determination. It showed a side of Yasuo she sees too little but enjoyed so much. 

After countless days of waiting outside the school's doors, teachers relented and opened the doors to young Yasuo. He trained and trained, both Yone and Yasuo were always busy with their studies. Sazama missed them, but she tried to keep it hidden. The school made both brothers happy, that was the only thing that mattered.


	5. Chapter V

Sazama had more time to spend since Yasuo and Yone were at the school most of their time. She spent it on improving her cooking skills, refining her balance during swordplay and spending time at the farm with Shoji.

The farmer was happy, too. He taught her the basics of cooking and started giving out challenging tasks at the farm. She enjoyed these; they got her mind off of sword-fighting and get a nice daily workout.

It's been one week since she has last seen one of the two brothers. That is something she did think about regularly, even when she was busy doing work on the farm. She thought about Yasuo, hoping the school wouldn't change his perfect personality. She also thought about Yone, yet she hoped that the school would change him, loosen him up. He was always so serious. Sazama would tell him to start having fun, smile at the most random times and tell jokes, even if they don't make sense. She tried to associate the last one with taking adventurous risks, from which one learns. Yone did not like the idea of unnecessary risks. He was always so careful. 

She was lost in thought while nailing some loose wooden parts of the main fence. That's when she snapped herself back to reality when the hammer hit her on the thumb.

"Ack!", slipped out of her mouth.

"Hard at work, I see."

Sazama recognized that voice instantly. A smile formed on her face as she turned around quickly to get a sight of Yasuo. She yelled out his name in surprise and sprung up to hug him tight around his neck. Somehow, she had forgotten about her recent injury.

He was warm and felt more sturdy as if he had been training non-stop. She could feel a chuckle coming out of him as he hugged her back and rested his head on her shoulder. 

A few moments had passed after Sazama decided to pull back slowly. She took a look at his face to notice a new scar on his forehead. It looked like a scar caused by some sort of blade. She raised her hand and gently put it on his forehead, near his own injury.

"Care to tell me if this was an accident or intended? Or... did slip and fall onto your blade again?", she asked him while gently caressing his forehead.

He laughed at the remark and slowly leaned into her touch. Yasuo enjoyed this moment more than he would've liked to admit. Her presence was something he missed dearly, yet he had so little time to give her nowadays. Moments like these were thus ever so enjoyable.

"I never slip onto my blade. I'm not that careless," he replied, "I hoped you would've had a better image of me in your head."

"Don't worry, it's really not that bad."

He looked at the ground for a second. She didn't notice it in the slightest, but Yasuo was trying to cover up his blush. When he started to get embarrassed right after, he pushed her away from him slowly and then said, "It was during a duel. We used real weapons and... Elder Souma's wind technique caused my blade to go flying onto... my face."

Sazama widened her eyes at the name. So it was true. It fascinated her.

"Elder Souma? Y-You got lessons... from him?"

He chuckled at her excited stutter, "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what he was doing. Examining me, perhaps."

Now she got curious, "Examining?"

Yasuo didn't look too excited about it, "I don't know. Yone said the elder saw 'potential' in me."

"Wait, Yasuo, that's good, right?", she wasn't entirely sure why he was looking so... plain.

Yasuo just looked down, trying to avoid having this conversation. It's not like he was embarrassed about what he thought, or if he felt uneasy saying it. He was still hoping for a different dream to come to life before admitting these unsaid facts.

"Maybe it is. That's something for later, anyways.", he held out his hand to her, asking her to come with him.

She did not care for it. Instead, she handed him the hammer with a wide smile. Yasuo didn't seem amused. 

"Get to work, soldier.", she said as she slapped his back, ordering him to drop down and work on the broken fence. He coughed at the hard slap and fell down onto his knees.

"Just for your information, Shoji wants me to finish the fence as soon as possible. He needs me for another job.", she said.

"Well, if Shoji wants  _ you _ to finish this so quickly, how about you do it yourself?"

"A pair of strong muscles like yours are actually preferred for this job."

Yasuo laughed. He enjoyed compliments that he knew were true.

"Fine. Just this once."

And just like that, Yasuo went to work on the fence like a good boy he was. During the work, Sazama noticed that Yasuo did not like being called "a good boy" and being asked, "do you want a treat". However, a pat on his head was greatly enjoyed by the great warrior.

She was sad he did not bark after that one.

* * *

Working on the farm was more exhausting than Yasuo had imagined, especially today. A whole day filled with exercise drained his energy, making him yawn over and over again when sitting at the table inside of Shoji's and Sazama's cosy home. 

"Yawning is considered rude in most cultures, Yasuo. You're lucky I didn't kick you out just yet.", Shoji approached the duo at the table with some freshly made tea. The mint and other spices were mostly gathered by the farmer himself. However, it smells better than it actually tastes. Yasuo didn't care, he just hoped that he could go lie in bed soon, rest his feet and arms so he could start tomorrow again as a new man.

"Excuse my manners, O-fa. It's been a very busy day."

"All days are busy if you're a farmer.", he poured the tea into three separate cups. The soothing sound of pouring water tired Yasuo even more, making him close his eyes very slowly.

He was awoken by a sudden shake on his left arm. Sazama looked at him and said something, but he didn't hear what. He just wanted to sleep. Nothing else.

Shoji and Sazama were talking together about the many things that had happened at the farm today. It wasn't very exciting to any of them, but finding a nine-legged spider was clearly interesting. How are they able to talk about a misformed spider for what felt like hours on end, Yasuo thought to himself. Hours were not really hours, anyway. That conversation had only taken up no less than ten minutes. 

"Yasuo..."

He looked to his left and saw Sazama poking him with her finger, "Just sleep here tonight. There's no way you will make it back without falling asleep on some random rock."

He nodded and gave her a quick hug. At least, he thought it was short. He fell asleep during it... again. 

Sazama sighed and gestured Shoji to help lift him up, so they could bring him to an empty couch. From there on, he wasn't disturbed anymore and slept like a rock.


	6. Chapter VI

Yasuo knew he was not in his own comfortable bed. This felt different, yet not unfamiliar. His eyes were still tired and his muscles felt sore. He expected today's training to be extra exhausting. Elder Souma might not be very thrilled to see Yasuo in such a state. 

In the distance, he heard some kind of annoying whistle. It grew louder with each second. He was sure he knew that sound, he has heard it here before. Upon opening his eyes fully, he realised where he was. 

He quickly sat up, but his muscles protested and made him sit back again slightly.

"Oh good, you're up."

He heard her voice coming from the kitchen. The whistling came from the tea kettle which was placed on the stove. By now, that whistling had finally stopped and Yasuo saw Sazama pouring the hot water in two small teacups. She approached the couch which Yasuo was laying on.

"What time is it?", Yasuo asked her. He wouldn't want to be late for his lessons.

"You'll be on time. Drink this first."

She handed him a teacup. It looked and smelled different from yesterday's tea. It was... stronger, yet it didn't smell bad. 

"It helps relieve some soreness from your muscles. At least, that's what the old man told me,", she blew softly onto her tea and then continued, "if you believe in it hard enough, you will actually feel it."

Yasuo was glad she was so thoughtful. Or maybe her muscles were sore as well and Yasuo was just accidentally part of it. He did not really want to admit his back was hurting from yesterday's work, so he tried covering it up as much as possible.

"Ah, it's fine. I've never felt better! Don't worry about me..."

She just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. It was so obvious that he was lying to her. Yasuo just stared back and smiled awkwardly. Sazama rolled her eyes and muttered something which the brother couldn't hear. He assumed she was mocking him, or at least said something that would definitely trigger him in some way.

A few silent moments had passed. They both didn't mind, especially Yasuo liked the silence this early in the morning. He was sipping his warm tea, enjoying the flavour of it. It made him feel more relaxed and his muscles were enjoying this treat as well.

"Thank you for taking care of poor old me.", he finally said.

She laughed and said, "Why are you thanking me? Isn't that what friends do?"

Friends. Yeah, they were. Then why did it sting a little to hear those words coming out of her mouth? Yasuo wasn't going to admit it to himself anytime soon, but for the longest of time, he was hoping for something else. She was always there for him, supporting him all the way. Training together, working together... She was there when other kids did not accept him, or when the villagers would tell him 'he was a mistake that could never be undone', which, on the worst days, he agreed to. How did she feel, was a question he asked himself countless times. He wasn't sure how to approach the matter. Every time he would think of it, it sent nervous bugs up his belly. Or were those butterflies?

"I guess so. Still...", and then he smiled at her.

They both finished their tea and at that moment, Sazama had something to admit, "Ah, about what I said before. That you would be on time," Yasuo raised an eyebrow, not very excited about what she had to say, "yeah, uhm no. You should probably hurry."

"What?!", Yasuo stood up from where he sat and put his teacup down quickly. Then he noticed something, "Where's my blade? Where did you put it?!"

"I didn- Wait! Why do you assume I took it?", Yasuo kept staring at her, clearly panicking, "No, I didn't touch it. I haven't seen it since yesterday."

Yasuo wasn't happy at all. Elder Souma and the other disciples would think of him weak and unorganised. The worst-case scenario would be that Yone would notice the blade's disappearance. Yasuo wasn't excited to hear what kind of lecture he would give him afterwards. He sighed in annoyance and put a hand on his forehead. 

"Wait!", Sazama suddenly said while grabbing a hold of Yasuo's upper arm, catching his attention, "You can use mine today. Promise you'll bring it back in one piece?"

Her idea didn't seem to brighten Yasuo up, but he was still glad she offered. Honestly, there weren't many alternatives. He nodded and thanked her. Sazama rushed away from the couch and took the stairs to her bedroom. It took her only a minute before she got back with her own blade. It was rather small compared to Yasuo's one, a lot less heavy as well.

"I'll repay you soon, I promise.", Yasuo told her as she handed over her blade.

She smiled and said, "That better be good. My expectations are high."

He chuckled and started making his way out of the small house. The walk shouldn't take him too long if he would pick up the pace,   
thirty minutes tops. Who knows, he might make it on time. He turned around to wave at Sazama and made his way towards the school.

* * *

"Brother... where have you been? I've been worried sick."

Yone saw Yasuo approaching the main entrance of the school. Yasuo looked sweaty already, he must have walked, or ran, quite fast to get here on time. 

"Yone," the younger sibling spoke as he went up the last couple of stairs, "sorry brother. I stayed at Sazama's. I should have informed."

Yone looked at Yasuo and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what he did there that late in the evening, but he was also confused about his new weapon.

"It's clearly none of my business to interfere with your private life, but you could at least have cleaned yourself before your arrival here," Yone turned around and started making his way back to the main hall, "and you should probably explain to Souma why you chose to equip a sword clearly made for women."

Yasuo was afraid this would happen. Honestly, there was no avoiding it. He would just have to live with it. He will find his blade soon enough.


	7. Chapter VII

The blade could lay anywhere. She had no idea where he would put such a valuable belonging. She understood it, however, since he was so tired he might have only had three brain cells working in total. She recalled all the placed they have been to the previous day, which is why she started at the fixed fence.

Nothing to see there. The fence looked great, however. Shoji has probably not seen it yet, but she was proud of what the two of them had achieved.

Next up was the barn. They needed to sweep the floor and clean it thoroughly. Sazama thought that this was probably the time where he would have to take off his blade so he could sweep better.

She looked in the maintenance closet. Nothing.  
She looked in the barn itself. Nothing.  
Was it in any of the remaining stalls? No.

She scratched her head in confusion. Sazama was almost certain that he would have put it near here.

Once she gave up looking in the barn, she suddenly heard metal hitting a rock. It sounded exactly like a blade. But why did it make a sound? There wasn't even any wind that would cause it to move.

She saw a dark figure standing next to her house. That figure seemed to be holding Yasuo's blade. It dared her to come closer. Was she hallucinating? 

It didn't look like a real person. Dark smoke was coming off of its body. A cold shiver ran up Sazama's spine. She has felt this before and finally knew what she was looking at.

"Zed...?", she whispered silently. Angst drove her and made her walk towards the shadow with hesitating steps. It felt as if she was unable to stop herself.

The figure started walking and turned the corner to the back of their house. It was asking her to follow it. Sazama kept on walking, her eyes now entirely focused on what was in front of her. Another shadow emerged behind her without her noticing, its eyes red with evil. Coldness hit her upper back and it felt as if it was speaking to her, "I haven't forgotten you just yet..."

As she turned her head to look at the cold, it vanished into a dark mist. It was gone. 

Sazama went around the corner of the house to find the dark figure standing straight, leaning on Yasuo's sword. She knew whom the figure belonged to. She recognized the armour in an instant.

"Missed me, young one?", the figure spoke to her. Mysteriously, the voice did not come from the shadow itself. It seemed to be all around her, coming from multiple angles. She felt surrounded, unable to move, talk, or hide.

"Don't worry, young one. I'll wait for you.", and with those words, the shadow disintegrated just like the other one. The blade fell onto the ground after having lost the grip of Zed's shadow.

The cold disappeared and the feeling of being watched was also gone. Sazama was still shivering, remembering what he had done. Remembering how merciless he was.

Why did he not attack her? Why was he waiting for her? It was all very disorienting to her. She tried shaking off her thoughts with one quick shake of the head, but it was to no avail. 

At least she had found his blade. Yasuo would be very happy to see it again.

But at what cost?

-

It was already dinnertime. Sazama was getting hungry, but she refused to go home. It was important that Yasuo would get his belongings back before tomorrow's lessons. That's why she was sitting near the entrance of the sword school. She didn't mind that it was raining, it was actually quite calming. The thoughts in her mind seemed less noisy now that she had something else to focus on.

She shivered slightly, the cold was starting to get to her ever so slowly. Maybe it was just a better idea to head home soon. If she were to stay much longer and the weather wasn't on her side, she might just catch a cold. Shoji wouldn't be too happy about that, since she was all he had on the farm. It would break her heart to disappoint him like this, especially if she would tell him the reasoning behind her cold. "All this for some boy. Seems as if your mind is wandering and focusing on the things that will just break your heart anyways." She heard Shoji's words in her mind, sounding awfully depressing.

Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder, which woke her from her daydream. She expected to see Yasuo once she turned around but was surprised to hee his older brother Yone looking at her.

"I see you are following in my younger brother's footsteps: waiting outside the school's gates in the rain, waiting to be let in. Am I correct?", he asked her with a silent chuckle in his throat.

"N-No. I'm here to return him something important.", she gestured towards his sword. Yone looked at it and shook his head in disbelief.

"The fact that he would leave his sword just like that...", he closed his eyes for a second and then decided to open the gates for her, "Come inside. You'll get sick otherwise."

She accepted his offer and got up from where she was sitting.

The inside of the school was beautifully decorated with Ionian murals. The paintings on the walls seemed to represent some sort of Ionian myth, showing multiple characters and places in a spiritual world much different from Ionia itself.

"Weird, isn't it?", Yone was standing behind her. Clearly, he saw her drooling over the beautiful artwork on the walls.

"What is?", she turned around, interested.

"How a strong swordsman like him strays off the path, only to be encountered with demons. Like the Collector himself."

That's when she remembered the myth.

The murals tell the story of an elder brother who strays off the Gatekeeper's path in the afterlife. Awoken by the sound of waves, he tried to follow the nine-tailed white fox towards a chance for eternal rest, but past events consumed the brother's spirit and mind, thus became susceptible to powerful demons.  
There stood an arch with a lantern watching over a beautifully lit river, luring the elder brother in with magical powers. He couldn't seem to turn back. As he heard the faint, sad cry of the fox leaving him behind at the Collector's feet, all of a sudden everything turned dark. Memories haunted him, anger took over. That's what the azakanas fed on: negative emotions. Even during the afterlife, the weight of his failure crushed him to pieces. Darkness overtook the brother after attempting to fight the ever-lurking demon, but to no avail.

That's all she knew about it. It seemed like a story made to teach children the value of acceptance of one's mistakes. Too surreal to be true, but still teaches a valuable lesson.

"The fact that we already know about the myth and which choices to make in the afterlife can give us an advantage once it happens, don't you agree? Just follow the fox...", Yone was still looking at the murals and pointed at the nine-tailed fox, also known as the Gatekeeper. He seemed interested in the myth, just like Sazama was, but in a different way.

"About the sword...", Yone turned towards Sazama and looked at Yasuo's blade, "I'll gladly bring it to him once he finished up with Elder Souma. It's best to not disturb them during these sessions."

Sazama agreed to what he said and handed him the sword carefully. It was at that moment she noticed something different about Yone. Something she hadn't seen in the previous years.

"You're a dual wielder?"

"A new skill I am practising, indeed,", he started, "it has offered me more mobility and possibilities during battle."

"Is that so?", Sazama then reached for Yasuo's blade and took it in her own hands again, "Let's find out then. Dare to go against me?"

He chuckled and closed his eyes, clearly amused by her confidence, "I think it's more appropriate for me to ask that question to you. Do you dare?"

A quick nod was her response. She immediately went into position, holding the blade tight in her hands. It was heavier than she was used to, she hoped it would not cause any kinds of disadvantages for her.  
Yone just turned around and went to stand in the appropriate position, looking as calm and reserved as ever. 

They stood there, waiting for one of them to make the first move. None did. They were staring into each other's eyes, trying to find out when and what would happen. It had even gotten to a point where it started to get awkward. 

Sazama lowered her weapon slightly, already feeling the weight of the blade in her muscles, "So what's th-"

And then he jumped forward, trying to slash his left blade across her, only to be blocked by her lowered sword. It made her lose her balance and her blade fell onto the floor. She looked at the blade in disbelief, cursing to herself in her own thoughts. Yone's other blade struck rapidly from the opposite side. There was no chance of her blocking that one. She fell to the ground, defeated in one quick blow.

Yone sheathed the two blades and held out a supporting hand to Sazama. She took it with an annoyed face. It was humiliating, but in the back of her head, she enjoyed the hidden intimacy during the duel. 

He pulled her up to her feet and let out a laugh. It wasn't often she heard him laugh like that, he was always so serious, as if there was no getting through to him.

"What's there to laugh at? My defeat? How humble.", she said with the same annoyed face as before. Yet she couldn't help but smile after Yone stopped laughing and looked at her with an amused face.

"It was quite amusing to see you struggle to hold up Yasuo's blade. Honestly, I was impressed at how long you managed to keep it up."

"So your secret tactic is to wait for the other person to get cramps in their arms?", she asked.

"Not always. Depends on the opponent," he said while looking her up and down. She blushed fiercely, yet was quite insulted by the comment. How dare he?

"Suggesting... I'm weak?"

"Suggesting... I'm too intimidated to go against you without any disadvantages.", he smiled at her and decided to take over Yasuo's blade once again. She handed it over to him without any hesitations. Sazama wasn't sure what to think of his reply, yet she couldn't help but repeat his words in her mind over and over again. 

"Stop blushing already and come with me. The rain has stopped.", he told her as he was walking towards the entrance of the building, ready to head home. She gulped at the thought of Yone seeing her like that. How embarrassed she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The myth that is being discussed in this chapter is The Path.  
> The cinematic for this Ionian myth can be found online under the name: The Path, An Ionian Myth | Spirit Blossom 2020 Animated Trailer - League of Legends
> 
> So if you've seen it... you know :D


End file.
